Terrier Injuries

Terrier Injuries

Terriers that have been entered underground will suffer cuts and bites on its face as it tries to drag its quarry out of the tube to bring it up above ground. Sometimes the dog can lose teeth, part of a lip, suffer rips to its nose and ears and also eye injuries. The same can be said for the fox, badger or rabbit.

Lack of Medical Treatment

If the terrier is very injured the owner will be reluctant to seek a vet for medication, and will probably try to heal the injuries himself.

Sometimes they even sew up injuries on the dog themselves without any anaesthetic or medical knowledge, this results in bad facial scarring, one of the biggest clues as to what they are up to. This dog will generally be hidden from public view. It is not uncommon for terrier men to try and fix their dog’s injuries with super glue, anything to avoid a trip to the vets. The Countryman’s Weekly recently advertised “Skin Staplers” for “repairing small cuts and tears. IDEAL FOR WORKING DOGS. ” Like we say, anything to avoid difficult questions at the vets.

Kept in Appalling Conditions

The condition the dogs are kept in, particularly by amateur terriermen, often don’t meet the dog’s minimal welfare needs; being classed as ‘working dogs’ their owners don’t feel they need to give them sufficient exercise or socialisation. In many cases the terriers are kept in small outside pens all day and night, except for a short work, if they are lucky, when the owner returns from work.

Suffocated Terriers

So common is it for terriers to become trapped or lost when underground that the government allowed an exemption to the Hunting Act 2004 to allow terriers to be dug out. In many cases a dog can be trapped for days before being dug out, but in other cases the dog will simply suffocate to death.

Only I Returned

A terrier that doesn’t display the bloodlust instinct of its owner will not live very long. Colin Hine (Fellman) a terrierman from Bolton writing on a hunting forum said of one of his dogs: “HAD A FELL TERRIER….I TOOK A WALK TO THE WOODS. ONLY I RETURNED…YIS FELLMAN ” (Source: Moochers, 14th September 2004)

Motivation for Wanton Cruelty

What would motivate someone to inflict incredible suffering to the terriers and quarry? Tim Wallace posting on the Moochers website: “For me … its digging the dog and the game,if it bolts i go nuts,i dont keep dogs that dont mix it with there game, nothing like a dig,rather have a dig than knock 3 foxes on the top, i would not honestly get a kick out of shooting game, its got to be a dig for me i love it…..better than sex…”